There are all these crazy fad diets and I’ll tell you right now, I don’t believe in diets. I believe in lifestyle changes. There are multiple ways to create a healthier lifestyle, but you have to decide what it is you want to do. Well, recently I decided I’m really big on “juicing.” So what is this exactly?
Juicing is literally what it sounds like. Juicing fruits and veggies to enjoy in drink form. I love it! I prefer green juice—which is mostly veggies and if you’re new to this style of eating, probably not a good choice. My family tried my green juice and hated it… But they loved the apple juice, lolz.
Most recently though, I completed a 3-day juice cleanse. Each day I drank 5 different juices and had one meal of only fruits and veggies (around dinner time). The juice recipes were pretty great. I did substitute the last one each day for a different version of green juice because it was just too much sugar for me and I couldn’t do it. (I really don’t have a sweet tooth at all).
Day one is a little tricky. You will feel hungry and the trick is you really have to space out your juices. It’s also easier if you have a lot going on that day (NOT classes). If you’re distracted you won’t think about only drinking juice for 3 days…you’ll think about whatever it is you’re doing at that moment.
Day two is a little better because you know what you expect, but at the same time it’s also a little harder. I got a headache at this point because I was used to eating solid foods and was only drinking juice. BUT, I will also tell you that the headache goes away from the natural sugars in the juice from the fruits and veggies.
Day three is great. By this time you’re used to it and you realize you just want to finish up what you’ve started. By this day I felt awesome. I felt accomplished in that I followed the cleanse to a tee, AND I also felt awesome in that it really did feel like the toxins in my body were detoxed. I loved the strength I felt I had too. I didn’t work out like I normally would, but I did do pilates and some basic stretching because I felt that I could handle it and it actually built up a lot more muscle because I wasn’t counteracting unnecessary fat input.
SO with all that said, how do you cleanse?!
I have an awesome juicer, thanks to my parents for Christmas—thank you mom and dad!
I bought all the ingredients for the 3 days and juiced all 5 juices for each day the night before. Why? Mostly because I do live with someone and the juicer can be REALLY loud and I try to be a considerate roommate. Next, I drank the juice! You do have to plan ahead a little bit because the juice is better cold, so you have to know your schedule and know if you can take it to-go or not.
Things to be aware of—you need to stay properly hydrated (YES while you are juicing you NEED to drink WATER, too)! It also helps avoid headaches and cravings throughout the day. The juice is going to be a different kind of juice than what you’re used to buying at the store. THERE ARE NO ADDED SUGARS. IT WILL BE SLIGHTLY BITTER.
Lastly, do what’s right for you! If you don’t think it’s the right thing for you to do, then don’t do it. It’s totally an individual process and I researched it a LOT before actually committing to it. Here are the recipes for the FIVE juices each day (They all come from the Dr. Oz 3-day juice cleanse!):
Morning:
3 Carrots
2 apples (your choice)
1” piece ginger root
Mid-Morning:
1 cucumber
4 celery stalks
2 apples (your choice)
6-8 kale leaves
½ lemon
1” ginger root
Lunch:
4 plum tomatoes
1 large cucumber
2 celery stalks
1 red bell pepper
¼ small red onion
2 cups parsley
1 lime
Afternoon snack:
6-8 kale leaves
8 leaves Swiss chard
1 cucumber
6 clementines
Pre- Dinner
1 large sweet potato
1 medium carrot
1 red bell pepper
2 large red beets
2 golden delicious apples
1 orange (optional)